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Scunthorpe's new Conservative MP has said it is "not acceptable" that patients at the town's hospital are being transferred to Grimsby for cancer appointments.

Holly Mumby-Croft, who replaced Labour's Nic Dakin in the December election to become the town's first female MP, said "ongoing workforce challenges" meant oncology services had been moved from Scunthorpe General Hospital to the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.

The Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, which runs both hospitals, said the move was a temporary one and chemotherapy and cancer surgery would remain available at Scunthorpe.

But in her second question in the House of Commons, Ms Mumby-Croft said: "Last week, due to ongoing workforce challenges, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust temporarily transferred all oncology services to Grimsby hospital.

"This is not acceptable to local patients and can I ask the secretary of state to join me on a visit to Scunthorpe hospital, so that we can discuss this and other issues with local NHS staff?"

Scunthorpe MP Holly Mumby-Croft, speaking in the House of Commons (Image: Parliament TV)

In response, health minister Edward Argar said: "I appreciate the concerns raised by by my honorable friend about this matter. I understand the changes, which have been made for patient safety reasons, are temporary, with a review to follow by the Humber Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance.

"While we will monitor the results of this review closely, and I will continue to take a close interest in this matter, I know that either I or my right honourable friend will be happy to take her up on her invitation and visit."

At the time, Wilf Baker, chairman of the Prostate Cancer Lincs and Humber Support Group, said: "We are hoping the move is temporary and that support will still be given to patients getting to hospital.

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"Scunthorpe General Hospital was always very good in arranging transport for when I was being treated there but a lot of radiotherapy patients won't be able to use public transport, so I hope that assistance continues when patients are travelling to Grimsby or Hull.

"Thousands of people are affected by cancer each year - it's really important that services continue."

The move is down to a national shortage of oncology specialists, forcing the NHS trust to consolidate its services in Grimsby.

Peter Reading, chief executive at the trust, said last week: "It is proving very difficult to recruit cancer specialists to vacancies at Hull University Teaching Hospitals (HUTH), which runs our cancer services, because of a national shortage of them.

The Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, in Grimsby (Image: GrimsbyLive)

"This means it is hard to run all our oncology face-to-face consultation clinics safely at all our locations.

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"Grimsby has a specialist cancer ward and department and moving there is less disruptive to other services. Chemotherapy delivery will remain available at both Scunthorpe and Grimsby and there are no changes to cancer surgery.

"I would like to apologise to patients affected by this. These changes are designed to continue to deliver safe, high quality care.

"We have written to patients to inform them of this change and what, if anything, they need to do next."